The Pillars At Little Estero Lagoon: Pt. II

The water was comfortably cool at the Little Estero Lagoon "pillars" as Frank Constantin would coin their name.

The Osprey with prey above (image 1) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Meeting up with Frank, Suzanne Lanthier and Réal Jauvin was a special treat. The breeze was favorable for flight of the birds, but there seemed to be a near curse in the cormorants looking out into the Gulf of Mexico instead of at the camera. Drat.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 2) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The scene above (image 3) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Réal Jauvin above (image 4) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Osprey above (image 5) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 6) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

I didn't know that one of the Royal Terns observed was banded when viewing it in real time, but when processing its picture for inclusion in Part I of this three part article it stuck out like a sore thumb.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 7) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Frank Constantin above (image 8) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 9) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 10) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 11) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The band on the tern was a federal one, so little could be learned from it with the metal ring so small and colorless. You are encouraged to report banded birds at the links in the sidebar of the blog.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 12) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 13) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 14) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 15) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 16) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

One of the highlights of the morning was the aerial battle between the Bald Eagle and Osprey. From the first observation of them, it required a mere twenty seconds for the eagle to steal the fish from the Osprey.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 17) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle with prey above (image 18) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle with prey above (image 19) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 20) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 21) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

There were at least a pair of Bottlenose Dolphin at very close range that appeared to be feeding successfully. Based on my previous experience, I didn't waste much time attempting to get photographs of them due to the near impossibility.

The Snowy Egret above (image 22) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 22) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 23) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 24) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The scene above (image 25) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Though a very difficult decision, Little Estero Lagoon remains a very close contender for my favorite wildlife venue a mere one notch behind Bunche Beach Preserve.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 26) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 27) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The scene above (image 28) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The wildlife species observed were relatively few on the morning of 14 March, but their overall numbers were very good with a lot of action. The birds were leery to use the pillars for a short while due to the very close proximity of the fishermen.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 29) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 30) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Please also see The Pillars at Little Estero Lagoon: Pt. I
Please also see The Pillars at Little Estero Lagoon: Pt. III

Bunche Beach: Late October 2013

Wrapping up my last wildlife observations in the month of October, it was my good fortune to meet up again with Frank Constantin at Bunche Beach Preserve on the 20th.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The tide was accommodatingly low as a flock of Black Skimmers were intent on remaining photogenically landlocked through most of the morning. The birds primarily loafed with an apparent need of rest from loafing.

The Bottlenose Dolphin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

A particular highlight on this visit was the best observation I have had yet of Bottlenose Dolphin. With a few images captured of them at close range on this visit to the Preserve, a small pod would head toward the Sanibel Causeway tollbooth. From a distance of a mile the dolphins were seen to make stunning hunting maneuvers that produced waves that might mistakenly be thought produced by an ultra fast speedboat in a turn. A memory of them certainly not to be forgotten.

The scene above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

A few flybys of other species were observed as I made frequent adjustments to the camera's exposure bias to compensate for the light and dark subjects and backgrounds. I have yet to embrace Artie Morris's manual exposure technique which would potentially allow for more keepers.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

As I reviewed the images presented in this article, I noted how oversharpened some of the images appear (to my personal taste). I need to ween myself off the "sharpen" button which is lazily pressed in Phototshop, and use the "smart sharpen" button which often allows improved realism.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

In keeping with my desire to give the wildlife a wide berth (sometimes spoiled by birds that will walk or fly within feet of me), I am compelled to crop an original image to one degree or another. If I like the pose of the creature, I will sometimes not hesitate to crop the image extensively. However, by doing this it will degrade the image quality.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Marbled Godwit above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

The Marbled Godwit above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.

It was a very enjoyable time observing the wildlife at Bunche Beach Preserve as always.

The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2013.